Heat…Then Storms…Then Cold

We are really heating things up around here. Even this morning we started with temperatures in the upper 40s to near 50. So high temperatures will rise from here into the mid-upper 60s. I wouldn’t be surprised to even see a 70 degree reading in one or two cities. Skies will be between partly to mostly cloudy skies. Winds are southwest at around 8-12mph. There is a weak area of high pressure just to our south, but some clouds will still manage to enter into the region.

Today’s Forecast Map

They are expecting severe weather out towards the mid and lower Mississippi River Valley today. There is a moderate risk for severe weather out towards Arkansas and Tennessee. This is just ahead of a powerful cold front that will eventually affect us.

Tonight we’ll hold onto the southerly winds and we’ll see plenty of clouds. So lows will only bottom out near 50. There will probably even be some low 50s out there. Then tomorrow we’ll see lots of clouds, but the winds will be very strong out of the south. So high temperatures will reach the low/mid 70s. The record high for tomorrow at Norfolk International Airport is 80 degrees set back in 2002. That’s pretty impressive, and I doubt we’ll get close to it. The strong cold front mentioned above will make it to western Virginia and North Carolina. We could get a stray shower or storm tomorrow afternoon out ahead of the main line of storms.

Tomorrow’s Forecast Map

Tomorrow night is the most likely time for the storms to move through. We are in a slight risk for severe weather for that time, but the higher chances look to be to our west. Luckily the storms are expected to come through at night. So that should take a little bite out of the storms. I think the main threat will be from straight-lined winds. The timeline for the storms looks to be from about 9 pm until 2 am. Give or take an hour. Behind the front we’ll see cooler temperatures. Temps will probably start in the low 50s Thursday morning. Then they will likely drop to the 40s or at least hold in place in the low 50s. We’ll stay chilly going into the weekend.

Temperature Trend

A couple of models hint at a few flurries coming in on Friday. Notice that the high temperatures will be near 40. However, there will be some extremely cold air aloft. So perhaps there will be a few flurries Friday in the early evening with temperatures in the mid-upper 30s at that time. It looks pretty chilly this weekend, but not as cold as last weekend. Highs are forecast to be in the 40s. There may be a few showers on Sunday, but the models disagree on that. Stay tuned for updates! Until then enjoy the great weather.